Ricky Martin
 Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin's self-titled first English-language album is a triumph of an
omnivorous world-pop sensibility--but more important is that at its best, it's a real kick. The first
single, "Livin' La Vida Loca," employs a revved-up ska tempo to praise a girl whose "lips are devil
red [and] skin's the color of mocha." Martin is no less irresistible on the disc's other uptempo
numbers, such as "Spanish Eyes," "The Cup of Life" (the 1998 World Cup theme which with he
stole the Grammy telecast a few months before this CD's release), and the Soul Coughing-indebted "Shake Your Bon-Bon." Ricky Martin loses momentum with its draggier ballads--even the
much-touted Madonna duet, "Be Careful (Cuidade con Mi Corazon)," doesn't spark--but overall, it
deserves its inevitable multiplatinum success. --Rickey Wright
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